A Men's Retreat for Growth and Renewal: Our 27th Year [before 2009, we met at Buffalo Gap Camp in West Virginia]
We have confirmed reservations with the National Park Service for Camp 5 at Prince William Forest Park for the weekend Friday through Sunday, September 15-17, 2017 sponsored
by The Men's Council of Greater Washington

What You Can Expect this Weekend

The Setting

The weekend begins with a buffet dinner from 6-7 p.m. Friday. The opening ceremony begins at 8 p.m. We encourage you to arrive early. Planned events end at 2 p.m. Sunday.

This weekend includes powerful rituals such as the talking stick, sweat lodges, drumming, a bonfire gathering, storytelling, poetry, workshops, breath work, small group exercises, swimming and a continuously open sauna. Throughout the weekend, the experiential activities encourage us to honor ourselves and share the passions, paths and purposes that enrich our lives.

Community Sharing:

Talking Stick: Ritual speaking and listening occasions for sharing from the heart.

Small Groups: Opportunities to explore qualities that may be challenging for you and to bond with a small group of men over the weekend.

Community Events: Activities which provide a forum for the communal expression of masculine feeling, movement, and energy include drumming and evening campfire gatherings.

Storytelling: Used for millennia to convey truths about living generative lives, men participate in the retelling of legends, traditional stories, and epic myths for the weekend.

Poetry Reading: Within the hearts of men lie the souls of poets. Men may recite their own or others meaningful poetry.

Learning and Growing

Workshops: These are held on
a wide variety of topics. If you would like to present a workshop
or discuss an idea for one, please contact Earl Foote at workshops@menswork.org.

Ritual/Sacred Space:

Opening and Closing Rituals: Powerful ceremonies mark the beginning and end of our shared time, grounding our mutual purpose and intention for the weekend.

Sweat Lodge: A ceremony for cleansing the soul, the sweat lodge may well be the oldest continuing ritual on earth, predating the Ice Age. All spiritual paths are welcome.

Silent Table: A single table is reserved for all who wish to share a meal in silence.

Activities for Boys (and their fathers/guardians)

Several generations of men and boys are present at the weekend providing a unique opportunity to refresh family bonds. The key to a positive, safe and successful boys experience is active supervision and participation by fathers and guardians, as well as the support of other men.

Our philosophy is that boys need space to play, explore, and be boys, but they also need clear structure, boundaries and rules to follow. Balancing these elements ensures the successful integration of boys into our weekend. Therefore, men who bring young boys should expect to spend the majority of their time with their boys, assisting with and supervising both structured and unstructured activities.

Those who bring older boys may need to provide less supervision but still need to be actively involved.

All fathers and guardians must be willing to actively enforce boundaries and rules. A release signed by a parent or legal guardian for each minor is required.